Overview of Bishmizzine

The village of Bishmizzine is located in the middle of the Kourah plain on a mountain plateau about 275 meters/900 feet above sea level, between the Mediterranean coast and the crest of the western Lebanon mountain range.  Its map coordinates are 34°19′13.0″N 35°47′50.0″E. Most of the neighboring villages are located on the surrounding hillsides.  These villages are part of the Kourah District of North Lebanon. Bishmizzine is about an hour's driver from Beirut, and around 20 minutes from Tripoli.

The People of Bishmizzine
The residents of Bishmizzine are mainly Greek Orthodox with a minority of Sunni Muslims and a small number of residents from other Christian and Muslim sects. While there is one Greek Orthodox congregation and one priest, there are four historical churches, and there is one mosque. The village is essentially of what is called the nucleated type with the main church buildings, shops and older residences forming a compact cluster surrounded by olive and fruit orchards, fields, and pine groves. Some of the newer homes and shops have been remodeled from the old, while others have been constructed outside this village nucleus. The village is roughly divided into haras (neighborhoods). The clustering of family groups within different haras is the result of expanding families constructing new houses close to the original ancestral house. Since World War II, however, many villagers have relocated outside their family cluster for a variety of reasons. While many, if not most villagers are landowners, few derive a major portion of their income from the land. Most families own a number of small plots scattered throughout the whole village territory. This is due to intermarriage, the subdivision of the land through inheritance, the distinction between residential and agricultural land, and the different types of soil which are found in different areas of the village and are suitable for different crops. Bishmizzine covers 546 hectares - about 1350 acres.  Its boundaries and separate plots of land have long been recognized by the villagers, and were officially delineated by a cadastral survey undertaken during the French mandate.  

The History of Bishmizzine
It is believed that the village, as we know it today, began in about 1700, as ancestors of the main family groups converged on the area at different times and from different parts of the region.  The number of families has also expanded from husbands moving to their wives’ village, contrary to the predominant pattern of wives moving to the ancestral home of their husbands.  Archaeological evidence attests to the presence of people in and around Bishmizzine in ancient times, but there is no evidence to suggest that there was any direct link between those people and the present village.

Emigration has played a major role in the history of Bishmizzine since the 1800s with Bishmizzinis traced to around 50 countries, though mostly to the United States, Argentina, Brazil, and Australia. The connection that Bishmizzine has maintained with its emigrants has made it a truly global village.

The Bishmizzine Heritage Project hopes to reinforce that connection – and provide more historical information about the village and those who settled abroad as this website expands over time. We have also started a list of books and articles about Bishmizzine, as well as a list of books, articles, videos and websites by Bishmizzinis. We welcome your contributions to documenting the heritage of Bishmizzine.